Somewhere God and Mother Nature are cracking up. I mean, a day doesn’t go by without us getting another piece of evidence that proves just how challenging it is to maintain a successful male/female relationship. As black women, the numbers already are working against us if we’re hoping to find a single, black man.
And now this:
New research commissioned by Nickelodeon UK to mark the launch of a new show has pinpointed the exact age that boys mature completely is 43 – eleven years after women.
And since I have an um … penchant for younger men, I see now, I may have to make some concessions here and there.
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It also means that as the mother of boys -10 and 11 – I could be raising boys in perpetuity, and that’s not good at all.
There are just some things I don’t understand.
There were two girls in my family so I wasn’t nearly prepared for the boy stuff that my sons have introduced me to. I’m still trying to figure out why passing gas is funny and I dread approaching the day when it switches from begging them to take a shower to wondering why they’re taking three a day.
That being said, I’ve gone through great pains to prep my boys for adulthood and I personally think their prospective wives will be pretty pleased with the job I’ve done.
They pick up their dirty clothes, put their dishes in the sink, take out the garbage, lay out their clothes and even can prepare a few meals on their own.
Why should I expect any less from a mate?
While the article has a lot of information that I think hits the nail on the head, I’m not buying this study completely.
There have just got to be some happy mediums out there, guys who are fun, energetic, hard working and sexy who have put away childish things for good … or at least the majority of the time.
So, yeah, I’ll laugh at some bathroom humor and do a load of laundry – but I will never wash a pair of Sponge Bob Pajamas for any man with body hair, including my sons. That’s just a deal breaker.
But sadly, some women seem to believe having a silly man-child is their fate.
Eight out of ten believe that men ‘never stop being childish’ – with breaking wind, burping, eating fast food in the early hours and playing videogames – while 46 percent of women have had a relationship in which they felt they had to mother their partner a bit too much.
If there’s a bright side to this story, I guess is the idea that immaturity helps men bond better with children. But even kids lose respect for a male adult who doesn’t know when it’s time to man up.
The news is full of stories of what happens to parents of both sexes who think being friends with their children is a good thing. Sadly, Michael Jackson and Bobby Brown are just two examples of what can happen when men refuse to grow up.
This Father’s Day it would be nice if every dad recognized his role as leader, provider, confidant and occasional buddy to his children.
What a gift that would be for all of us!
